1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a glove box, having a housing opening at which a bag, in particular a gas-tight glove, a gas-tight outward transfer bag or a gas-tight connection bag for connection to a container, is disposed.
2. Description of the Related Art
A glove box of this type is known from German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 32 01 976. The gas-tight bag in that known glove box is a glove having a matrix that has a surface coating of halogen-free elastomer and/or polyolefin on the active inner surface of the glove. The polyolefin may be polyethylene, while a surface coating of chlorosulfonated polyethylene may be disposed on the matrix on the inactive outer surface of the glove.
If work is done with radioactive emitters in the prior art glove box, in particular alpha emitters such as plutonium, then the surface coating of halogen-free elastomer and/or polyolefin on the active inner surface of the glove prevents halogens, in particular chlorine, from being liberated by the radioactive radiation on the active inner surface of the glove and from reaching the glove box and thus the radioactive emitter.
Keeping the radioactive emitter free of halogen contamination avoids corrosion of metal enclosures into which the radioactive emitter is introduced, which is caused by halogens emitted by the radioactive emitter. This is particularly important where the radioactive emitter is in the form of pellets of plutonium or mixed plutonium oxide, which are used as nuclear fuel in existing cladding tubes, for example those made of a zirconium alloy, in fuel rods of a nuclear reactor fuel assembly. During use in a nuclear reactor, greater corrosion damage must be expected in these cladding tubes, if the nuclear fuel emits halogens.
Although glove boxes having single-layer gas-tight bags disposed at housing openings are already known, these known gas-tight bags are formed of polyvinyl chloride. This means that they emit undesirable chlorine to radioactive emitters in the glove boxes. British Patent No. 2,148,094 also discloses a multi-layer polyurethane-rubber glove with a woven reinforcing fabric, which is used for work in the kitchen or in the medical field.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,609 to Eisert there is known a glove box with a glove, the arm of which is formed of a sprayed polyurethane elastomer. Such sprayable polyurethane elastomers belongs to the group of casting elastomers and it has chemically cross-linked, i.e. irreversibly cross-linked, molecules. The material is neither thermoplastic nor can it be melted down, i.e. it cannot be welded.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a glove box, which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and which refines the prior art glove box by providing a gas-tight bag of single-layer material.